Chemistry:
Noun (u) / ˈkɛmɪstri/
As previously stated, it is not something that can be forced.
I love Christmas. The frosty air and billowing snow, being wrapped up in blankets and sleeping until noon. Or maybe I just like Christmas break; it's hard to tell. I roll over and grab my phone off of my nightstand, checking the time. A notification pops up on the screen, reminding me I need to get ready for tonight. It's Christmas Eve, which also happens to be the night of the Minkus' Christmas party. Time to don some evening wear.
I find it strangely enjoyable primping myself for the party; taking extra care to moisturise and pluck, probably looking a lot like the cliché beauty-queen. The truth is it just felt amazing to take care of myself, to feel like I was doing this out of my own accord. I'm doing this for me. And maybe because a part of me wants Maya to be stunned. I shake away the wishful thoughts, sliding the last pin into my hair.
I slip into the dress, the feeling of the material against clean skin mesmerising. I take a look at myself in the mirror and I smile. It's a weird moment. I realise how far I've come to reach this point. Perfectly wrapped up in tulle, I could almost let myself believe I'm a princess. Five-year-old me is finally getting her wish fulfilled. Good on her.
A buzz came from the intercom, followed by Zay's voice telling me to 'haul my gorgeous ass downstairs.' I give my mom a quick kiss on the cheek and send a dorky salute my dad's way before grabbing my coat and heading out the door. Outside the building, I find myself in front of a black limousine, a sombre looking man stepping out to open the door for me. Sometimes I forget just how rich Farkles' family is.
I smile at the chauffer and slide into the leathered interior. The seats are set in a semi-circle and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the dark lighting inside. On my immediate right is Zay followed by Lucas, both of them looking dapper in fitted tuxes. Lucas even has a trimmed rose in his breast-pocket. Someone's trying to get laid tonight.
Smackle is seated next her Lucas, looking every bit as beautiful as I knew she would in her dress. Her hair is left down and I marvel at how thick and sleek it is. I need to ask her what shampoo she used. My eyes shift over to the girl seated opposite me and I feel my cheeks redden. I already knew what her dress looked like, having made her try it on, but I still wasn't ready to see the full look.
Her eyelids are a shimmering silver, making them stand out in contrast to the red of her dress. Her hair is tied up in an almost ponytail, slightly messy and amazingly long and layered. Pieces of hair frame her perfectly made up face. I see her face flush as her ruby-red lips part slightly, eyes roaming shamelessly along my body. I blush further and look away, hiding my satisfaction.
"You guys look amazing." I state, grinning at my group. I receive bright grins back, the entire back of the vehicle alive with raw excitement. "I hope you guys didn't forget your Secret Santa gifts." I say, watching as several eyes were rolled. "And risk your wrath?" smirked Lucas. "I thought it would be fun if this year, instead of setting a place and time, we just gave the gifts to each other throughout the night." Murmurs of acceptance followed the idea. "Eye' eye' captain." Maya grins as she gives me a sailors' solute.
The limousine stops moving and we find ourselves at the venue the party is held at this year. It's a gigantic mansion set just off the country roads. It's most used for fancy charity balls and weddings. I feel like it's costing me money just to sit here, so I toss open the door before the chauffer has a chance to. I settle myself onto the paved path, waiting for everyone to get out after me. We head up the marble stairs and towards the open Oakwood doors, spilling light outside.
I'm only a couple steps into the foyer when Farkle practically tackles me. "Thank god you guys are here. My father's been ruthless this year, introducing me to every colleague he's ever made eye-contact with. You're lucky I even found you guys." He eyes widen as he sees Smackle, who shyly smirks at him. "Am I an acceptable date?" She asks. He marches up to her and kisses her hard. "Ballalala." He states, tenderly referencing a word he used to describe his feelings for her when we were younger.
"You're welcome." Maya taps Farkle on the shoulder and wiggles her eyebrows at Smackle as she walks past. "Ready to get smashed and laid?" Lucas holds up his hand for Zay to high-five, but Zay shakes his head. "Not tonight bud." Lucas mumbles something about Zay getting himself tied down, and I remember the guy Zay has been doting on recently. Things were more serious between them than we had thought.
We enter a large high-ceilinged room that largely resembled a ballroom out of a fairy-tale, except with significantly less royal dancing and courting. Various official-looking people stood in its place, sipping from champagne glasses and talking business to the soundtrack of classical music. Soon after entering the room, Farkle is whisked away by the famous Mr and Mrs Minkus: Stuart and Jennifer.
The five of us are left to fend for ourselves, and I'm almost certain that it shows how little of a clue we have to do so. A waiter comes past and offers us glasses which we happily accept. After scanning the room, I realise that there were actually quite a few people our age. We end up making conversation with a couple, all of them heirs to companies or children of business-men and women. It's pleasant, but a bit too formal for my tastes.
When Farkle cannot take anymore parading, he rushes us all out of the room and into the nearby gardens. It's breath-taking; A gigantic cobbled courtyard complete with a fountain, leading out into paths of trees and bushes. We and a couple of newly acquainted individuals sit on the steps in front of the courtyards and observe. We managed to snag a couple of bottles of assorted drinks on the way out, and are now passing the bottles between us.
I decide this is as good a time as any to give Smackle her gift and get it out of my coat. I hand her the box excitedly and she examines it slightly gingerly. It's fair enough, looking at the past gifts she's been given. She takes of the bow and opens the lid of the box, revealing the silver locket inside. "Um thank you for the jewellery Riley." I hear the confusion in her voice. "Open it." I coax.
The locket contains a picture of the six of us, one that I managed to take earlier this year. It was a day we were all outside the school, having been let out early because of water cuts in the building. None of us were able to get home at the time, and we were all fooling around. I had managed to get a picture with all of us in it, half of them not even knowing I was taking one. It was definitely a lucky shot, and I was pretty chuffed with myself.
"It's so that when you're in Princeton, or Brown, or Yale... you can look at that and remember that we'll always be here when you get back." Her eyes fill with tears. She lifts her hands to her cheeks, as if surprised with herself. "I believe now would be a justifiable time to hug you?" She smiles tearfully. I laugh and pull her into a tight hug as our friends coo and join in.
Lucas coughs and calls my name. I pull away from Smackle and send him a questioning glance. "Can we-uh talk? I mean, I'm your Secret Santa. Can I give you your gift now?" He holds a small box in his hands, neatly wrapped in purple wrapping-paper. "Um, sure." I get up and follow him inside, not missing the way Maya watches us leave.
We walk down the hallway and into an empty room. I cross my arms over my chest, smiling awkwardly at him. Lucas scratches the back of his neck, eyes darting all over the room before landing on me. He mirrors my awkward smile on his face, handing me the box. I tear off the wrapping paper and pull the lid off. "Lucas?" I question.
A figurine of a unicorn is nestled into the bubble-wrap. A lopsided cowboy hat hangs on the one ear. "The head twists off." He says. I continue to stare at the object. "Open it." He prompts. I do as he says, tipping the unicorn sideways, a folded note sliding into my hand." I unfold the note, watching as the bold words come into focus. You're still my princess, am I your prince-charming? Underneath it he has written himself: Prom?
I blink at the note, as if closing my eyes will make it change its' contents. "Riles?" I flicker my eyes up to him, anxiousness inscribed on his face. I don't say anything for a moment, my mind still trying to find the right words. "Lucas-" He cuts me off quickly, his voice determined and desperate.
"I know we aren't together anymore, and I know I told you that I was okay with being friends. I lied. I still have feelings for you Riley." He wrings his hands, beginning to pace. "You were my first love – are my first love. I know there's still something between us. Don't you feel it? I have to know." Suddenly, my face is in his hands and his lips are on mine.
The feeling is so familiar, almost comforting, that it takes me a moment before I come to my senses. I push him off me. He stares at the space next to me, seeming just as surprised by the kiss as I was. I hate myself for doing this to him, but I can't give him what he wants. At that moment, I hear fumbling at the door. I turn to see a blur of red and gold moving away from the door.
Maya. "I'm not the one Lucas. I'm sorry." I send Lucas an apologetic look as I race out of the room. I catch Maya at the end of the hall, the one leading to the foyer. She pulls her arm out of my grip, eyes filled with outrage. "Maya wait. It wasn't what it looked like." She shakes her head, "I saw enough to know what it was."
I open my mouth to explain just as Jennifer Minkus rounds the corner. "Oh! There you two are. Stuart is about to make an announcement, but he wants all of Farkles' friends to be there. Have you seen Lucas by any chance?"
By some miracle, we manage to get to the banquet hall in one piece. Maya is standing next to Smackle, refusing to meet my eye. Lucas is standing next to Zay, doing the same thing for different reasons. I know that the middle men both know something is up, but nobody has said anything yet.
Stuart Minkus stands in the middle of the room. "As many of you know," He begins, "I'm getting old." Chuckles sound all around the room. "There are certain things that come with old age. One of them is watching your kids grow into almost-adults. On that note: Farkle can you please join me?"
Farkle stands by his father's side with mild confusion. "Farkle you are a perfectly capable young man and I know you're going to do great things one day. Consider this your Christmas gift." He beams and lifts his champagne glass. "I'm going to have to retire soon. I've appointed Farkle to take over the company!"
AN: ello! This is lowkey a gigantic pile of trash but it's okay!
I will do my very best to post on time next week, but it's my exams guys...
Until then, Au Revoir
